


Build and Release

by Cuidightheach



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: BDSM, F/M, I Blame Tumblr, Post-Breath of the Wild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:47:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23830099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuidightheach/pseuds/Cuidightheach
Summary: When your life is one big prophecy, there must be something you can do to spice it up.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

Pre-Game. (Zelda)  
The world was moving too fast. Days seemed to pass in minutes, and all she could do was sit and fuss and fuse. The Goddess Hylia would never answer her, and she knew this in her soul. Zelda couldn’t protect herself from a stray arrow, let alone the wrath of pure distilled malice, fueled by the incarnation of hate itself. She was nothing against the passage of time. She was an ant on the cosmic scale of “right” and “wrong,” and she was being weighed against a titan. She was being battered against the cliffs by an ocean of uncertainty, and the Goddesses were taking a backseat to watch, and perhaps laugh. When she told her father to let her help, he brushed her off. When she ordered her knight to stay away, he deliberately disobeyed. When she pleaded with the Goddess, she was met with silence. When her mother fell ill, her maids would coo at them “it’s out of our control,” and “it’s in the hands of the Goddess now.” 

Zelda was finished with the hands of the Goddess. She wanted her fate to be controlled by HER hands, and no one else’s. 

In-Game (Link)  
Link wanted to run away. He wanted to run away and never come back so much that he could feel it screaming in his blood. Every time he was riding fast on a horse or soaring towards the edge of Hyrule, he felt it call to him. He would have a moment of breathlessness, of adrenaline that shouted at him to Move and to Get Out. Then, the soul-crushing realization would dawn on him. The realization that he was the only one who was stuck, the only one who had to stay, who had to fight and who had to win. Zelda’s voice would trickle over him like poisoned honey, urging him to “stay vigilant” and “be careful.” As if the Goddess would let him die. Ha. 

Sometimes, when he was all alone, high in the snowy mountains, with his toes going numb with cold while his face was scorched by a hand-built fire, Link would pretend he was already gone. He would pretend there wasn’t a fucked-up shrine thirty feet away that had nearly killed him six times. He would imagine he had taken a raft out into the endless ocean, and that he floated away, that he had let the tide take him to a place where he could sit awhile and breathe, and not worry about the end of time or how to hold a sword or when to move his shield so that his opponent would be left dazed. In many of these musings, Zelda was there too, learning and dreaming on her own terms. Link would let himself get lost in this world, he would smell make-believe flowers and laugh at his own clever jokes. He would sunbathe on pleasant islands, drink wine and read new stories. He would have time to remember his father, and his sister. In his dreams, he could pretend that he was still able to cry. 

Then, morning would come, along with a drop of rationality and he would pack everything he owned back up, and set off, towards his goal and his glory once more.


	2. River Of Tears

(Post Game- Link)  
“...But I can accept that.” Link started at the Princess’s words. She smiled at him softly, and he ran to catch up with her as she began to walk away. He reached for her hand and she let him take it, causing them to both start running towards their horses. He felt lighter than he had in many moons, and as he rode beside her, he let himself feel buoyant, floating away on the hope that this was all over.

He rode that high all the way up until the pair made it to Zora’s Domain, and he saw the pained expression Prince Sidon wore when the two of them arrived. Guilt hit him like a shock arrow, and the memory of bedrooms lit with luminous stones teased at his psyche. He shook his head like a dog shaking off water, and tried his best to concentrate on the issue at hand. Vah Ruta was sitting in the same pool she had been stationed in while aiming at the Calamity, but now the large metal elephant was not responding to any of the Zora or to Zelda’s commands via the Sheikah Slate. Large drops of water trickled from the machine’s glowing eyes, and though it maintained the blue glow of reclaimed Sheikah tech, nobody could deny the eerie feeling of sadness that emanated from the divine beast. 

When the duo ventured closer, Link spotted fairies flitting about the water, and a wavering inscription read, “Bring me a shard of wisdom and I shall share my fears.” For a brief moment, Link forgot that Zelda was standing beside him, and he began to unfold his paraglider in the direction of Hateno Village. 

“Link?” Her voice called over to him, and he steadied a tremor in his hand. “I don’t see anything out of the ordinary, do you?” He looked off towards Mount Lanayru and sighed, then set down his supplies and returned to her side. Squatting, as to not be seen by any of the fairies, he guided her towards the inscription. She remained still at his direction, then slowly reached her hands out to feel for a barrier. Bare skin met cool metal, and in a flash, the Princess was sobbing into Link’s shoulder, unable to control her breathing or tears. He half-carried her back up the slope, and her tantrum faded with each step. 

Wiping the moisture from her eyes, and holding on to Link’s steadying arm, Zelda spoke. “We have to- to help her.” 

Link nodded and gently took the Sheikah Slate from Zelda’s hand, opened the map and pointed towards the Spring of Wisdom. Then, he zoomed in and placed a stamp on his home in Hateno. 

“So, we ride to Hateno first for supplies, then to the Spring of Wisdom. Can you tell me why?” 

Link glanced around to see if anyone was near, then lowered his gaze and spoke softly. “There’s a riddle. Bring a Shard of Wisdom.” 

Zelda searched his gaze. “What is a shard of wisdom?” She asked, tucking her hair behind her ear. He just stared back, unable and unwilling to explain the three dragon deities of Hyrule and their significance to his past quest. After a minute of silence, Zelda nodded once and re-opened the map. “Off we go then,” she said. “Let’s not keep Ruta waiting.” 

With that, Link squared his shoulders and saddled his horse, already dreading the tasks he knew may be ahead. 

(Post Game- Zelda)  
On the ride to Hateno, Zelda nearly cried on three separate occasions. The first time, it was remembering the immense sadness Vah Ruta had shared with her. It was deep and cutting, like ice in her stomach. The feeling made her head swim and her knees buckle, and the worst part was that she couldn’t control the feeling or step away from it in any way. It had covered her entirely, until she was drowning, and she began to list different ingredients for elixirs in order to occupy herself. The second time, Link had pulled up short and flew into the air with the grace of a Rito warrior, and shot three deadly arrows into the head of a Bokoblin she hadn’t even seen from around the corner. It was horrifying and ruthless, and not at all how she remembered traveling in Hyrule to be. This road used to be a main thoroughfare, close to the castle and easily patrolled by dispatched Royal Guards. Link had slumped back into his saddle with blood running from his nose, and her heart caved into her chest. The third time tears sprung to her eyes was when a home became visible from the road, and she could see a sweet patch of flowers framing the sign that said “Link’s house.” Something about the visage was eerily familiar, and the building was perfectly suited to the knight riding in front of her. 

Thoroughly exhausted from the trip so far, she was longing for the respite of sleeping in a bed and warming her face over a hot meal. She drew her horse around to the back and followed Link to the front, careful not to tread on any of the flowers that decorated his yard. She could hear children playing in the distance, and her emotions whirled about in an uncomfortable yet settled way. At least children are always children, she thought to herself. Inside, the house was warm and decorated with weapons. Two chairs sat on either side of a small, quaint table. A rather fancy looking stove resided in the corner, and a loft to her right led to a sleeping area. Link gestured to it, as though to tell her she was welcome and even obliged to make use of the bed. 

She ventured up into the loft and placed her supplies near the end of the bed. She collapsed in a heap, and when she woke up, it was golden outside, and the house smelled distinctly of spices and fruit cake. She watched from above as Link shuffled around his home, adding pinches of rock salt to mushroom skewers and reading from a stained recipe book. His idle stirring and humming made her chest tighten, and she swallowed hard before joining him on the lower floor. 

“What are you making?” She asked, sticking a finger into the creamy whipped frosting he had just set down. He swatted at her hand and pointed to his book, which she now saw contained the voluptuous scrawls of a Gerudo chef, and Link’s scribbled notes in the margins. The book was open to a page titled “Paella,” but there were four more pages that were marked with sprigs of Hyrule Herb. Link gestured to the table, and she took a seat, mouth watering and head quickly clearing from the fog of sleep.

They ate copious amounts of food together, and Zelda couldn’t help but smile while she watched Link devour dish after dish. Unlike him, her memories had remained intact during the past hundred years, and she would play them like moving pictures in her head. To see the person closest to her do the things she remembered him doing felt bittersweet and gentle on her heart. She wasn’t sure if he remembered everything, but it was enough that he remembered his own self, and his actions matched up with her memory of him. 

When he placed the fruit cake in front of her, she had a hard time not jumping out of her seat and holding him tightly to her, as to never let him go again. Instead, she scrunched her napkin in her lap and prayed for the sun to never go down, and for this exact moment to never end. She ate the cake with reverence, and it was, of course, delicious.

After their meal, the duo sat in silence, Zelda thumbed through pictures on the Sheikah Slate while Link wrote notes in his cookbook. Occasionally she would glance at him, and watch as he yawned or tucked his hair behind his ear. Having the world be normal but yet so vastly different was making her restless, and before long she felt the need to release the tension that was coiling inside her. She set down the Slate and tucked herself into a jacket. Link watched as she moved towards the door, a question clear in his eyes. 

“I’m only going for a walk, I’ll be fine.” She said, and she pushed the door open. It was raining, and the altitude of Hateno made the water icy, chilling her to the bone. She started walking towards the main town, then downhill. There was a man tending to plants in the rain, and a traveler running with his hand covering his head. In the distance, there was the sound of thunder, and she hurriedly tucked her small knife into the depths of her pocket. She came to a small grove of trees, and she stooped to reach for a silent shroom, when a traveler stopped to talk to her. 

“Miss?? Where is the nearest lodging?” The woman said, wiping water from her face and grimacing. Zelda glanced back at Hateno, which she now realized was rather far up the steep cliff. 

“It’s a ten minute walk to Hateno Village,” she answered, and the woman’s face curled into a snarl. 

“That’s just far enough that nobody will hear you scream, Princess.” In a flash, the friendly woman turned into a laughing Yiga footsoldier, and Zelda’s heart jumped out of her chest.

Zelda ran back up towards the village, and she could feel the arrows from the Yiga on her heels. Overhead, lightning blossomed against the dark sky, and Zelda cursed her useless dagger. She reached the cliff and began to climb, but the rain had slicked the stone, and she was sliding almost as much as she was scaling. In a poof, the Yiga was above her, pointing their bow at her head and laughing. In the next flash, Zelda dropped from the cliff, and cowered near the base, hoping for an overhang or a stray rock to block her from the oncoming attack. She held her breath, and thunder boomed overhead, causing small rocks to trickle down the cliff. An arrow struck her arm, and she yelped. Then, green lighting struck the ground in front of her, and a sudden rain of rupees showered around her. When she looked up, she saw Link’s silhouette against the stormy sky, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

(Link)  
He was terrified. The master sword was screaming at him, glowing bright and dangerously. And the rain was so hard that he could barely see his own hands. Zelda had only been gone for twenty minutes, and she wouldn’t have left the village, not on her own terms. Except, maybe she had. She had only seen outside of Hyrule castle through Link’s eyes, perhaps she didn’t know of all the dangers leaving a settled area could invite. He took off toward the cliffs, and heard the yelp of her voice, unmistakeable, even in the rolling thunder. Without hesitation, Link cast Urbosa’s fury into the dark, and watched as a Yiga footsoldier was illuminated by the glow. While they were stunned, Link plunged his blade into their chest, and it was mere seconds before he was beside Zelda, wrapping a bandage around her arm and offering his arm as a support. 

She was uncharacteristically quiet, her eyes downcast and solemn as they walked back up to his home. When he began to pull away, she tugged him back, and they stood underneath the awning in a stalemate, neither one of them moving. 

Clearing her throat, she looked at him squarely. “Will you teach me how to fight?” The question settled between them, and he balked a bit. Under his hands, she felt small and electric. Though she stood an inch taller than him, he couldn’t help but imagine her as fragile and protected, a finely crafted glass figure, meant to be displayed. He knew she was tough, and she had a hard look in her eyes that told him she was going to be stubborn. He regarded her quietly for a moment, then gave a single nod. 

They started training the next morning. He taught her how to hold a sword, and how to dodge oncoming attacks. She was by no means a natural, but she was sneaky, and started learning her own tricks as soon as she had the basics down. He told her about how to crouch in the tall grass or hide behind objects until she could use a sneak attack. Though she was unskilled and using a low-level weapon, she would still flinch every time her sword made contact with Link’s armor. He was pleased, overall. She never shied away from an attack, and he knew with time her parry would gain strength, and she would be able to hold her own. 

Once, he hit her shin with his stick, and in retribution she jumped and came down hard on his shoulder. When she pulled away, he saw a satisfied glimmer flicker in her eyes, and it made his knees weak in a way that was mostly unrelated to her attack. If he was being honest with himself, he was starting to take this closeness with her highness for granted. After so long, it seemed only natural to be fixing her posture and standing with weapons locked closely together. When Link had seen her holding the sword, regarding it, he was struck by a memory, just like before, when he was faced with a familiar image or place. This one was of Zelda, only six years old, holding a stick over him, eyes aflame with the same gleam, as e he lay on the grass of the castle courtyard. They had been playing, tumbling around in a summer breeze while his father and Queen Zelda discussed something nearby. He had tripped, stubbing his toe on some ancient rubble, and when he looked up, the princess was standing with her stick at his throat. 

“Do you surrender, sir knight?” The sun was just over her, and it reflected brilliantly off of her golden hair, creating a halo of light. Link could hear fairies laughing when he was looking at her, and the overwhelming feeling of grace was only broken by his father calling out to him. It was the first time he saw what it truly meant to have the blood of the goddess, and it was in that moment he made a private vow to protect the princess at all costs. 

When he came to, she was looking at him strangely, as if his whole life might be apparent on his face, and she was studying it closely. He set his jaw, and they began again. Though he kept his distance from then on, only touching her with a gentle nudge of a finger or the back of his hand. This was all he would allow himself, and even if his heart beat itself to death with every smile she threw his way, he would not allow anything to break his stoic resolve. 

(Zelda)  
The night before they left for the mountains, Zelda watched Link pack his things. She felt very peaceful, the glow of candles on the table illuminating him as he worked. He methodically cleaned his gear, just as he had methodically taught her for the past few days. Initially, she had been surprised that he would allow her to learn under him, but when she thought about it, she realized he didn’t have much of a choice. She was the sole ruler of Hyrule, and he was the sole knight. As pious and respectful as he was raised to be, it was no surprise that he would be obedient to her wishes. Looking at him now, she felt the burning desire to exercise that power over him. 

“Link,” she said, and like a dog trained to his master’s call, his head snapped up. “I’d like some tea.” He watched her for a moment, then nodded, and set the kettle on. As soon as he moved, Zelda added a hasty thank you, and guilt settled in her stomach. It was strange, but it seemed that in her uncontrollable life, the only constant and controllable aspect was Link. Not that she would ever abuse that power, of course. Within minutes, he had given her a mug of hyrule herb tea, sweetened with courser bee honey, and she had tucked away the information she had gathered into the depths of her mind. 

They left for the Spring of wisdom early the next morning, before the sun had even thought to rise. Link had them walk quietly up the hill towards the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, which took a good hour or two. When they reached the top of the hill, Purah engaged them in a hearty breakfast and a long yet intriguing theory about Vah Ruta’s functionalities. While the conversation was enlightening, and Link would never pass up an opportunity to eat, she could tell that he was wary of the sun climbing its way up the sky. Just before eleven, they finally escaped the cheery atmosphere of the lab, and settled back into their trek. When Link pulled out the paraglider, Zelda gawked, but he grabbed her hand and stuck it in one of the handles before she could make a sound. Then, he wrapped an arm around her waist, grabbed the other side of the contraption, and launched them in the direction of Mount Lanayru. 

It was a short yet breathless ride, and Zelda had never before known the feeling of flying so acutely. Then, something changed in the air. It was as if they had run into an invisible wall of frost, and it chilled them both so badly that Zelda could nearly feel the frostbite claiming her body. Once they had settled onto the snowy ground, Link pressed something into the palm of her hand. It was a gorgeous Gerudo circlet, with a Ruby centerpiece. When she put it on, warmth seeped back into her bones, and she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. The snow sparkled brilliantly all around them, and it hurt her eyes to look at it. 

“I suppose we’re headed up now?” She said, and Link snorted. “Well, then. Race you!” She shoved him gently, then ran to the nearest cliff, where she began to climb steadily. Link followed closely behind, and then he was beside her, and then he was above her, smiling down as he leapt for a hold. She laughed and began to jump up too, glad for the movement and the change of scenery. Exhaustion was starting to weigh in her arms, causing them to shake, and her hands to feel like jelly and stone all at once. She was only one sturdy jump from the top, but her legs couldn’t seem to launch her at all. Then she slipped. For a moment, she was weightless, not yet falling, but soon to be dragged down into the depths. A hand wrapped around hers, and the whiplash of being caught hit her like a ton of bricks. Link pulled her up the side of the cliff, eyebrows knitted and breath coming short. 

“Thanks,” she breathed at him. After a moment, she looked up to see the striking view, and tried her hardest to pretend a fall down into the snow wouldn’t have hurt that badly. 

It took them four more hours to reach the spring, and then Link set up a fire, which they sat by until night fell. The peak of the mountain was so high that Zelda could hardly see anything. Without a sound, Link began to walk up the trail to the east of the spring, and Zelda followed him. When they reached the peak Link watched the eastern side of the mountain, and so Zelda looked out too, though she hadn’t a clue what they were looking for. Then Link smiled, kneeled down, and shot himself into the air just as she had seen him do on their way to Hateno. Then, he pulled out a lovely silver bow, and shot two arrows into, what looked to be, empty air. When he landed, he was holding the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was glowing softly with a pale teal light, and it looked to be a bone or antler of some animal. 

“Shard of Wisdom.” Link said, then pocketed the item and smiled at her. “Hopefully.” 

When she was young, her mother used to tell her stories of spirits who protected the regions of Hyrule. She had been told that they were ancient sprawling beings, reincarnated to serve the springs of the Goddess and the people that worshipped her. Zelda knew of texts that relayed that only pure souls, like Koroks and very young children could see them. She herself had never seen a Korok in the flesh, though she knew they existed from watching Link gather their seeds and find their secret hiding spots. But this was different. 

“Link?” She said, putting her hand on his shoulder in order to look him in the eyes. “Do you mean to tell me that Hyrule is home to DRAGONS.” 

He pursed his lips together and tilted his head, goading her. 

“No, you’re joking. Dragons? And you can see them? That’s really just not fair. Why does the goddess bless you with this knowledge? Dragons! Link! Can you imagine seeing a Dragon? I mean, you don’t have to imagine, obviously, it was rhetorical, but, oh my. Why didn’t you tell me last time we were here? Or even after that? Did you just see a huge dragon and decide it wasn’t that big of a deal? Oh Goddess Link, I think I might have a stroke right here.” Her words were tripping over themselves on their way out of her mouth, she was so enthused. “Link, is it beautiful? Can you tell me with words?” She looked at him hopefully, only just then realizing how dark it had become. He was laughing at her, and he only stopped when she sent him a chilling glare. 

“Yes, they are beautiful,” he replied, and she elbowed him softly. 

“I mean descriptive words, Chosen One.” She said, and he stopped. She turned back to meet his gaze, and he smiled softly at her. 

“That one is blue. Its name is Naydra.” He said, and she beamed back at him, satisfied that she had drawn new knowledge out of the quietest soul in Hyrule. It was only when she met his gaze again that she saw the worry written on his face. 

“Link?” As she spoke, the ground began to shake, and a hulking skeletal figure burst from underneath the snow between them. 

A massive Stalmoblin turned to face her, and with a horrifying crunch it kicked her to the ground. Her chest ached at the impact, and she rolled to her feet just in time to see Link get knocked back with a giant dragonbone club. She snuck through the snow as best as she could, grateful that Link had fallen away from her, leaving the monster open to her attack. She unsheathed her traveler's sword and sent the bony beast sprawling, its head landing right at Link's feat, and he smashed it easily under his boot. With that, the rest of the scattered bones vanished in a black puff, leaving only the club, which Zelda picked up, and a disgusting, wiggly arm, which Link kicked off the side of the cliff. 

“What,” Zelda said through labored breaths, “in the name of Hylia, was that thing still doing out here.” Link shook his head, clearly thinking what neither one of them could say. 

He looked out to the southwest and pointed towards a tree they had passed on their way up the mountain. She nodded, and they set off once again, treading carefully through the snow and keeping a more watchful eye on the glistening bank. 

They took shelter in a hidden cave that held the Tahno O’ah shrine, and it only took a few hours for Zelda to get her heart rate back under control from their conflict. Her mind, however, was still running a mile a minute. The only way that those horrible monsters existed was because they were fueled by malice, and all of the malice should have been gone. Unless there was a source that they hadn’t found yet, hidden in the walls of Hyrule Castle or clinging to Zelda’s nightmares. The thought made her shiver, and she curled herself tighter against the wall of the cave. 

“What if we didn’t finish it.” Zelda spoke into the thick silence, and she prayed Link would laugh and tell her that it was crazy to even think that. The reality was much scarier. 

Link said nothing, but eyes were glossy and his face was pale. Perhaps it was just the cool lighting of the moon and the snow, but he looked to be afraid, and that was an emotion Zelda had never imagined she would see on his face. It deeply shocked her, and it only solidified her own worries to see her friend so shaken by the idea. 

“Then it is settled. After we fix Ruta, we must go back to the castle. You fought Ganon in a chamber I had never seen before, maybe there are more rooms like that, ones that were hidden until now. Will you go with me?” Link did not meet her eyes, but his shoulders were set and his jaw was tight. “Link?” 

He nodded, then he handed her a roasted sunshroom, and walked around to the other side of the shrine, out of her sight.


End file.
